Foundation Bible Church

Paul finishes describing the final pieces of God's armor that the church is to be equipped with: the boots, the shield, the helmet, and the sword. First, the boots are equipped so that the church might herald the gospel. Faith is the church's shield, used to dispose of the enemy's evil devices. The salvation wrought by Christ is to adorn the head of his people as a helmet, again protecting them fr...

Having called his readers to stand firm, Paul here begins to explain with what they are to stand firm with, namely, the armor of God. It is not by accident that the first piece named is the belt of truth and subsequently the breastplate of righteousness, for adherence to the truth of Christ necessarily leads to righteousness, as Paul has previously explained. Furthermore, these pieces of armor wer...

This week, Jason Mills walks through Exodus 2 where, after Pharoah placed the Israelites in bondage and commanded that all of the sons born to them be killed after birth, the mother of Moses, in faith, places him in an ark in the river to be saved from the onslaught. Yahweh uses her and the subsequent intercession of Pharoah's daughter to save Moses. It is in this story that we see God's faithfuln...

In closing out his letter, Paul begins to speak here of the armor of God and its intended purpose for the church. Each member of the body is commanded to take up God's armor and to stand firm against God's enemy, preparing for the evil which seeks to destroy that which Christ has built.

This week, Mike Johnston walks through the first verses of 1 John 3 where John speaks of the love that God has for His children. It is in this love that His children hope, purifying themselves according to the pure nature of their heavenly Father, awaiting the day they will see Him face-to-face.

Continuing in his section on home life, Paul here speaks of the relationship between master and servant, following the same authority and submission theme from the two prior pericopes. Paul's concern is that both master and servant obey the Lord and so treat one another accordingly, not as people-pleasers or authority-abusers, but understanding that they both have an even greater master, namely, J...

Continuing in commandments related to the home, Paul begins chapter six of Ephesians by telling children to obey their parents, and telling father's to not provoke their children but to raise them in godliness. Paul's concern is that children learn to obey God by obeying their parents, which thereby blesses them. In light of this, fathers are to train their children in such a way that guides them...

Commonly known as the saddest psalm in the entire Psalter, Psalm 88 is a song of utter lament. Lost in sorrow and suffering, Heman cries out to God, asking why the Lord has abandoned him in his time of need, yet all the while knowing that Yahweh is indeed the God of his salvation.

In directly applying the call to walk wisely and to submit to one another, Paul begins to speak of the home with its authority and submission structures. First, he commands that wives submit to their own husbands, and that husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church.

As Paul continues offering practical exhortations for the Ephesians, he ends this section by calling them to be wise and filled with the Spirit rather than foolish and filled with wine. Conducting themselves in this way, they are to sing songs to one another, to constantly give thanks to God for all He has done for them in Jesus, and to submit to one another in an orderly fashion out of reverence...

This week, pastor Mike Johnston takes us through Mark 7 where a Gentile woman begs Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Upon persistently making her request, the woman recognizes her lowly state and proves her faith in Jesus.

Rather than become partakers in the works of darkness, Paul commands the Ephesian church to walk as children of light and to expose the darkness among them. Being now found in Christ, the Christian is light in the Lord, and their works should reflect this reality, at all times attempting to discern what is pleasing to the Lord—all that is good, and righteous, and true.

On this Easter Sunday, Pastor Jason takes us through Paul's closing remarks on the affective power of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15. Because Jesus has risen from the grave, death no longer holds any sway over those who have risen with Him, therefore the Christian need no longer fear death. Rather, we are to walk in new life to the glory of God because of our risen Savior.

Paul begins the fifth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians by imploring them to walk in the same way in which Christ walked, that is, in love. By contrast, they are not to return to their former way of life and the sins which condemned them, for the sexually immoral and idolatrous will not inherit the kingdom of God.

After telling the Ephesians to put off, be renewed, and put on, Paul begins to list several ways in which they are to do this. Through these examples Paul shows the church how to maintain unity by loving one another, all of which comes about by the putting off of sin and the putting on of righteousness.

After declaring the to the Ephesians their calling as members of the church - unity and maturity in Christ - Paul implores them to not turn back to their sinful way of life but to instead remember that learning Christ necessarily leads to putting off the old self, being renewed, and putting on the new self created after the likeness of God.

In our passage this week, Paul continues to describe what the unified church looks like. He tells the Ephesians that Christ has gifted the church with gifted leaders who are to build up the church for the work of ministry, so that, in love, they might all grow up into Christlikeness.

Paul begins the second half of his letter to the Ephesians with its very crux: unity in the church. Having been saved by Christ from God's judgment, and having been made a new man, the church is to walk in unity with one another because God Himself is unified.

This week, Zach Canjar looks at Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus confronts those who boast in their works with a parable about a pharisee and a tax collector. Only God is righteous, and all men are by nature sinful, therefore everyone ought to humble themselves as the tax collector did and repent, for the Lord will exalt those who humble themselves before Him.

Paul concludes the first half of his letter with a doxology, glorifying God for the working of his great power in the church and in Christ, forever and ever. Amen.

This week, Jack Winsor preaches on Romans 12:1-2 where Paul implores his readers to walk according to all that God has done for them in Christ. Rather than be conformed to the world, the gospel of Jesus Christ ought to transform us so that we might live renewed, righteous lives as living sacrifices to God.

As he nears the end of the first half of his letter, Paul prays that his Ephesians readers would be granted strength through the Spirit, that Christ would dwell within them, and that they would be able to comprehend the love of Christ that surpasses comprehension. Paul prays that these things would take place within the Ephesians so that they might be filled with the fulness of God in Christ.

Paul, himself a prisoner on behalf of Christ, here takes an excursion to elaborate on the mystery of the gospel, namely, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs in Christ. The reality of this mystery has manifested God's manifold wisdom to all heavenly powers, and has provided God's people with complete access to him through faith.

Paul closes chapter two by stating that the church, which is comprised of both Jew and Gentile, is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the cornerstone. Because of this, Christ will continue to build his church into a holy temple, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it.

As Paul continues to remind the Ephesian church about who they used to be, here he emphasizes the peace they have with God and the subsequent peace that now exists between Jew and Gentile, for God has made both one new man by abolishing the old Law through Christ, who has established His New Covenant in His blood. By fulfilling the Old Covenant and establishing the New, Christ has made an eternal...